


Secret Santa

by whatdoidowiththisthingnow



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:27:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28469763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatdoidowiththisthingnow/pseuds/whatdoidowiththisthingnow
Summary: A few days late and a few dollars short, but such is life in the bitter end of 2020.This fic is for my true Hallmark Christmas kindred spirit, my other Haynes sister, the one and only lovely @hereiamsoaring (although I do not think that is your AO3 name and I can't remember what it is because I suck and I'm sorry).I didn't make it in time for Christmas, but it's close? I love you, friend! Hope you had a very Merry Christmas. :)
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37





	Secret Santa

It’s three weeks until Christmas, and Alex is already annoyed, “What do you even buy a therapist? Candles? Incense?”

“You know ‘aromatherapy’ and ‘therapy’ are not the same thing, right?” Kara laughs through the phone.

Alex groans and leans back in the seat inside her car, parked outside a couple shops in the Metropolis Arts District.

“If you had picked a fellow surgeon, would you have bought them a scalpel?”

Alex hesitates, “…no?”

Three thousand miles away in National City, Kara laughs, “Oh my god, you would’ve bought a scalpel!”

“It’s useful!” she reasons.

“I love you, Alex. But you are the worst Secret Santa of all time.”

Alex drops her head in her hands, “I’m not! But it’s a total stranger! How do you buy gifts for a total stranger?!”

“You knew what a Secret Santa was before you signed up for it, right?”

She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her coffee before she gets out of the car, “It was strongly suggested participation—not exactly voluntary. Plus, I thought it would be one gift! But a whole _week_?? What insane person thought that up?!”

“Yeah!” Kara mocks her, “One day of Christmas cheer is one too many!”

Alex laughs despite herself while she pulls a cloth mask out of the glove compartment, looping it around each ear. She holds the phone back up to her ear while Kara’s mid-sentence, “—and I’ll text you some ideas.”

“You better,” she pleads, “I still have six months left in this residency program, and I would rather not spend that whole time being known as a Grinch.”

“I will be your Cindy Lou Who,” her sister promises earnestly.

…

**Day One**

It’s not that she hates Christmas, exactly, but giving gifts just for the sake of giving gifts seems silly to Alex. If she’s going give someone a present, she wants it to be something good. Something they want, or need, or would never think to buy themselves. She needs more than the silly “Things I Like” list she got that says: “Coffee, chocolate, wine, cozy things.”

“Cozy things.” _What does that even mean??_

Unfortunately, her randomly assigned coworker is not in her department, let alone her floor, so she doesn’t even know her at all. She’s pretty sure whoever Dr. Kelly Olsen is, she isn’t even in the main hospital building. There were five buildings on the hospital campus—an office building, an outpatient building, a research lab, an entire pediatric facility, _and_ the main hospital—so she could be anywhere.

The name assignment should’ve come with a map.

She looks her up in the hospital’s database, and after only three wrong turns, ends up in the 4th floor hallway of the East Office Building. When she finds Dr. Olsen’s name on the outside of a door, she makes sure no one else is in the hallway, then takes the small gift from her bag and places it carefully in the stocking hanging on the door. She’s not entirely sure it was meant for Secret Santa, but it works.

She retraces her steps until she’s back in the lobby, then heads outside and across the parking garage to the main hospital.

Her phone rings as she walks in, and she smiles when the photo of her sister pops up, “Hey Kara.”

“Did you remember your gift?”

She rolls her eyes, “Yes.”

“Just making sure! Those coffee beans make the _best_ coffee. Even Cat likes it, so you know it’s good.”

“Well if it’s good enough for Cat Grant, it’s certainly good enough for us peasants,” she teases.

“You know what I mean!” she argues, “And you found a cute mug?”

“I sent you a picture!”

“Right! Right! Sorry…I forgot. Yes. It’s cute. You can’t go wrong with an Anthropologie mug.”

Alex nods along, “Yes, because fine dining and overpriced clothing go hand in hand.”

“ _Alexxxx_ …” her sister whines.

She takes a deep breath, “Sorry. The mug is cute. I am grateful for your help. Thank you, Kara.” she says honestly.

“You’re welcome. Ok. I gotta run. I’m at Noonen’s. Love ya, sis!”

“Love you too.”

…

**Day Two**

The next morning, Alex drops off her gift again—some fancy chocolate assortment Kara had shipped her and promised was amazing, and a candle that Alex is sure she overpaid for at a little boutique in town—and returns to her own office to find a little red gift bag outside the door.

She glances down the hallway to try and catch a glimpse of her Santa, but no one looks suspicious, so she takes it inside to open it at her desk.

The first thing she pulls out is a bag of coffee—although this is decidedly _not_ a bag of Cat Grant’s favorite blend, unless Cat Grant decided to switch to Folgers. It does promise to be their top tier blend, whatever that means.

She doesn’t care though. Coffee is coffee, and Alex will drink it. At least it’s not some weird fake flavor like blueberry crisp or apple spice cake or crème brûlée donut.

She reaches in the bag again and pulls out a matte black mug, etched with silver and gold designs. Upon closer inspection, she can see the etchings are actually constellations. Not exactly her style, but…ok. She did list astronomy as a “thing she liked.” Mostly because she couldn’t think of anything else.

When she turns it around though, she sees paragraphs of inscription—and then she laughs out loud:

_MAY FOURTEENTH_

_Looking toward the future, those born on May 14 have an extraordinary artistic vision and, if left to their own devices, will do great things._

_These individuals are contemplative yet dynamic individuals who like to do things at their own pace, whether lightning fast or slow. They do things carefully, not passing over the details._

_Moderation is the foundation to their success._

And then, in bold gold writing at the bottom: _RULED BY VENUS_.

Later that night, while FaceTimeing her sister, they’re both in tears.

“Ruled by Venus?” Kara laughs, wiping tears from her eyes, “Oh nooo. Someone clearly doesn’t know you at all.”

“Maybe moderation _is_ the foundation of my success!”

Kara’s only response is to dissolve into a fit of giggles yet again.

Alex takes a few deep breaths to stop her laughter and places the mug off to the side, “At least it’s entertaining,” she manages, “By lunch, I had to put it back in the bag, because every time I saw it I started laughing all over again.”

“Do you think they even looked up your birthday? Or just picked a date they thought matched whoever they think you are as a person?” she shakes her head and grabs another slice of pizza, “Because either way, they were so very, very wrong.”

Alex’s stomach grumbles at the sight of Kara’s pizza, and she wishes she was there. She picks at her own leftovers, but it’s not the same. Virtual sister night was starting to wear on her, and she didn’t know when they’d even be able to see each other in person again.

“…what?” Kara asks quietly.

She snaps out of her thoughts and smiles, “Nothing. Sorry. I just miss you. I’m glad we got to sneak in a sister night this week.”

Kara smiles, “Me too.” Then she perks up, “Oh! Can we still watch _White Christmas_ tomorrow? It’s not truly Christmas without it!”

Her puppy dog eyes beg through the screen, and Alex caves, like she always does, “Sure. But I can’t promise I’ll stay awake through the whole thing.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wake you up for the good parts!” she promises. “Potstickers?”

“It’s up to you!”

“Then yes to potstickers!” she cheers.

Alex grins and starts typing in her phone, “Alright. I gotta find a place in Metropolis to get some, but I’m sure there’s something…”

…

**Day Three**

Alex was called in to an emergency surgery in the middle of the night, so her schedule is all out of sorts. Her day started at 4AM, and then restarted again at 7AM with all her regularly scheduled surgeries—and she doesn’t wrap them up until nearly twelve hours later.

When she shuffles back to her office, bleary-eyed and exhausted, there’s a small wrapped box on the floor outside her door. She picks it up and only then does it hit her. She smacks her forehead, mad at her own stupidity, and hurries into her office.

She quickly throws on her coat and scarf, throws the wrapped box in her bag, and grabs the very obviously wine-shaped gift bag on her desk that was supposed to go to her Secret Santa this morning.

She’s pretty sure the office building is empty now, but maybe she can still get in to drop off the gift. She’ll bring the other one in the morning, and Dr. Olsen will just have to open two gifts tomorrow, but that’s life.

When she reaches the door facing the parking lot, she stops in her tracks. Outside is an actual blizzard—her first since getting to Metropolis—and it had to have been snowing for hours. Judging by the tires she can barely see on the parked cars outside, the snow outside is nearly six inches deep, and the huge flakes are still falling from the sky. She can’t even tell where the sidewalk ends and the parking lot starts.

She briefly considers going straight home and delivering two gifts tomorrow, but she’s off tomorrow, and if it keeps snowing like this, she’s very certain she will not want to leave her house.

She flips her hood up and starts shuffling slowly through the parking lot in the general direction of the ten-story office building she can now barely see across the way.

Thankfully someone is headed out as she gets closer, and she rushes the last few feet, practically sliding through the front door as he leaves. The guy holding the door says nothing, but once inside, Alex starts laughing, shaking the snow off her hair and coat and jeans.

Kara would _love_ this weather, she thinks. Actually…if she didn’t have to drive in it, she would also enjoy it. She hasn’t played in the snow in years. Not since a ski trip when she was a teenager.

She takes one last look at the winter wonderland outside the doors, then continues down the hall toward the elevators. Her boots squeak on the floor, and echo in the empty hallway. When the elevator arrives, the _ding_ of the bell seems so loud. She takes it up to the fourth floor, and about two steps into the hallway, all of the power goes out.

Alex’s stomach drops, but her slips her phone from her back pocket and turns on the flashlight. Then she dials her sister, hoping for someone to talk to in the creepy empty building, only it goes to voicemail, “Hey Kara. Uh…I’m probably not gonna make it for potstickers. Power went out at the hospital—well, at least in the office building I’m currently in. It’s gonna take me a while to figure out how to get out of here, and longer to get home. It’s just a snowstorm, though. I’ll be fine. Just wanted to let you—”

Somewhere nearby, she hears a door close. She slowly walks through the dark toward the noise.

“Just wanted to let you know. I’ll call you when I get home. Love you.”

She hangs up and aims the flashlight on her phone down the hall. She doesn’t see anyone, but she definitely hears them.

“Hello?”

“…hello?” someone calls back.

Alex waves the phone flashlight down the hall, but the light it throws is so minimal, she can only see a foot in front of her face. “I think the snowstorm knocked the power out. I’m Alex, I’m a—”

She sees a tall woman, coat and scarf thrown on in haste, fumbling to put on her cloth face mask, and clearly feeling her way along the wall as she walks through the dark. Something about her causes Alex’s brain to pause momentarily, “I—I’m a surgeon. Alex. Hi.”

The woman eyes her curiously, but offers a small wave, “Kelly Olsen. Therapist.”

 _Oh._ So this is her Secret Santa. She suddenly feels much more embarrassed by her gift-giving habits than she ever did from Kara’s merciless teasing. She drops the gift bag in her hand behind her leg a little, “Are you ok?”

“Oh. Yeah…I’m—I’m fine.” Kelly blushes, “The dark…it took me by surprise. I, uh, I don’t love it…” she forces a laugh, and Alex smiles.

“It’s not great…” she agrees. She’s not sure why a therapist would be here so late, but she doesn’t want to leave her here alone and in the dark. “Are you headed out? I’m a little lost in this part of the building, so maybe we can leave together?”

“Sure.” Kelly points to the Emergency Exit sign at the end of the hall, “I think that might be the only way out? I’m sure the front doors aren’t working, but this one should still unlock from the inside.”

Seems as good a plan as any, so Alex gestures ahead of her, “Lead the way.”

They get to the staircase at the end of the hallway, and Kelly holds the door for her. Alex smiles—then remembers she _also_ has a mask on, and that gesture is basically useless, “Thanks,” she mumbles.

Kelly starts down the stairs slowly, with both of them providing what minimal light they can from their phones. At the landing on the next floor down, Kelly pauses and turns, “So what’s a surgeon doing all the way over here at this hour?”

“Oh,” Alex holds up the obviously wine-shaped gift bag in her hand, mortified, “Secret Santa delivery.”

“Ah,” she nods. “It’s strange they put the whole hospital in together, right? I got a nurse in the ER who I’ve never even met.”

“Yes! Thank you!” Alex sighs, “It’s so hard to buy for a coworker anyway, and then you add the fact that you’ve probably never even seen this person—let alone talked to them—and it’s nearly impossible!”

Kelly laughs, and Alex continues following her down the stairs, “A lot of coffee mugs and candles, I’m guessing.”

Alex feels her cheeks on fire, knowing those are the exact impersonal gifts she has already given Kelly. Thankfully it’s so dark, Kelly can’t see her, “Have…all your gifts been bad?”

“Oh, no! I actually love coffee and candles.” She stops for a second and turns around, “You know the crazy thing? I got this candle yesterday called…Winter Wonderland or Cozy Night or something, but something in it smells…like home.”

Her eyes light up, and it takes Alex by surprise that she even notices. The realization makes her stomach twists just a little.

“—like my grandmother’s home, actually. It’s very embarrassing, but it actually made me tear up.”

Her stomach sinks, “Good tears?” she asks nervously, “Or…?” God, she hopes it’s not the other kind.

“Good tears,” Kelly confirms, “I miss her all the time, especially this time of year, but it reminded me of so many happy memories. It’s crazy how that stuff happens, ya know?”

Kelly smiles under her mask, and Alex can see it in her eyes, “Oh. Yeah…the brain is…crazy.” She’s not sure what to say.

“I know! I mean, they couldn’t have known it would remind me of my Grandma when they picked it out…but I can’t wait to find out who our Santas are so I can thank them in person.”

Alex is tempted to reveal herself, but there’s still a couple days left, and it seems unfair to kill the magic so soon. Especially now that she knows she’s not as bad at Secret Santa as she thought. Or Kara isn’t, at least. She’ll have to try and remember where she bought that candle though…

“Have you gotten anything exciting?”

She snaps out of her thoughts to see Kelly halfway down the next flight of stairs, and nearly trips as she tries to keep up. “Uh, no. Nothing really. Some coffee and a mug,” she grins, “The mug was hilarious though.”

Kelly pauses and looks up at her quizzically, “Really?”

“Unintentionally, I’m sure,” she clarifies, “I think I wrote _astronomy_ as an interest, and I got an _astrology_ mug with a personality reading for my birthday on May 14th.”

“Ah,” Kelly nods, “Was it at least accurate?” she adds carefully.

“Um…no,” Alex laughs.

Kelly starts down the stairs again, “Bummer.”

“Well, it probably doesn’t help that my birthday is in October.”

Kelly laughs, and Alex finds it adorable. Her stomach flutters, and she knows she in trouble. She wraps her arm a little tighter around her middle, and tries to get ahold of herself.

“Aha! Found it!”

Alex leans over the railing to see Kelly a few feet below proudly showing off the Emergency Exit door like she’s Vanna White.

“Success!” Alex cheers. She hurries down the last few flights of stairs to where Kelly is waiting.

Kelly turns back to her suddenly, looking nervous, “What if the alarm goes off?”

“Well, the power is out. So it’s unlikely. Also…it’s not _exactly_ an emergency, but it’s not _not_ an emergency…right?” she reasons.

Kelly pretends to agree with her vague logic, “Sure.” She puts a hand on the door, and then turns around again, “And thank you, for walking me out,” she says more sincerely.

Alex shakes her head slightly, “No, thank _you_. I would not have made it out of here without you.”

Kelly narrows her eyes, “You’re lying. But I appreciate that too.”

“Anytime.”

Kelly tilts her head curiously, and Alex’s last sentence replays in her head. Did she just promise to lie _anytime_??

They both laugh, and Alex blushes, “You…know what I mean…” she mumbles lamely.

“I do.”

Alex doesn’t trust herself to not say something stupid again, so she just nods.

Kelly turns and pushes the door—but nothing happens. She tries again, putting a little more weight behind it, and…still nothing. It doesn’t budge.

She turns back, eyes wide, “Do you think it’s locked?”

Alex hears the panic rising in her voice, and she steps closer, “It’s probably just rusty. Can I try?”

Kelly backs away and Alex shoves the door as hard as she can.

Nothing.

She turns to Kelly, “Together?”

“Ok.”

Kelly steps close, facing Alex, and leans her shoulder on the door. Alex locks eyes with her, and her stomach flips. She looks away and starts to count, “One…”

“Two…”

“Three!” they yell together.

They shove the door as hard as they can, and it flings all the way open, slamming against the brick wall outside. The wind howls, snow dumping down, swirling around the alleyway. The cold air takes Alex’s breath away, and it must have a similar effect on Kelly, because she’s already scrambling to close the door they just worked so hard to open.

Alex helps her pull it closed, fighting against the wind. It slams shut and they’re both swallowed in darkness again. She takes her phone back out and shines her little flashlight between them, “So…we did it?” she winces.

Kelly sighs and slumps against the wall, “I can’t drive home in that! I won’t even be able find my car!”

Alex silently agrees. As pretty as it was on the walk over, the weather seems to have turned. It seems colder and windier, less like the cute snow globe she felt like she was walking in before.

“Maybe if we wait a little, the storm will die down?” She holds up the bag she’d been hiding, “Wine?”

Kelly smiles, and Alex is relieved to see her looking less panicked. They turn and trudge back up the dark staircase again.

Four flights up, Kelly unlocks the door to her office, and even in the darkness, Alex is impressed. It was surprisingly homey for a doctor’s office. The power might be out, but any bit of light outside bounces off the snow, and with the big windows, it’s not as dark as she thought it’d be.

There’s a sleek wooden desk in one corner, with a laptop and a neat stack of files on the edge. On one wall is a navy blue overstuffed armchair, and on the other is a dark brown leather couch with a cozy looking knitted throw.

But in between, there’s a hastily built, large plexiglass wall on wheels that sort of shoves the coffee table into the couch. COVID protocols, she assumes.

“It’s a little tight with the wall. Sorry,” Kelly apologizes, “Normally it’s more comfortable.”

“If you think this is uncomfortable, I’m never inviting you to the surgical wing…” she quips.

Kelly rummages in her desk for matches, then lights the candle Alex knows was her Secret Santa gift. She carries it over to the end table by the couch before moving to sit in the armchair.

“Oh no, no, no,” Alex laughs, “If we’re gonna hang out in here, you get the couch. I’ll take the chair.”

“What? Why?”

“Because if you sit over there, and I sit on this couch, I’m going to feel like it’s an official session.”

They clumsily swap places, trying to maintain some semblance of a social distance in such a tight space. Alex settles in to the chair, and Kelly sits on the couch, looking around the room, “You know, I’m not sure when the last time I sat on this couch was…” she muses, “It’s kind of weird to see my office from here.”

“Like sitting in the passenger’s seat of your own car?”

“A lot like that, yeah,” she laughs. Then her brow furrows, “You know, I’m not sure I’ve done that either!”

Alex laughs, “I still get nervous every time my little sister wants to drive.”

“You have a little sister?”

“I do,” she nods.

“Are you close?”

Alex considers the question, “We weren’t always, but we are now,” she says honestly, “She’s my best friend.”

Something in Kelly’s eyes looks sad, even as she says, “That’s nice.”

She would normally steer clear of personal questions with someone she just met, but since Kelly started it, “Do you have any sisters?”

“Nope. Just a big brother.”

“Ahh…so you _are_ the little sister,” Alex smirks. Although she somehow can’t imagine Kelly causing nearly as much trouble as Kara did for her.

“Afraid so,” Kelly laughs, “…but it doesn’t always feel like it.”

“Yeah, my little sister would probably say the same thing,” Alex admits. Afraid of where this line of conversation could go in the hands of a therapist, she changes the subject, “So. What are the chances you have a wine opener in your desk?”

“Umm…about zero.” But then she perks up, “Oh! But I think there might be one in the kitchen!”

As if it heard the word _kitchen_ , Alex’s stomach grumbles instantly. She can feel her cheeks heat up, “Do you think that kitchen might also have food?” she hopes.

“…no, actually,” Kelly frowns, “They clean it out every night, so we couldn’t steal someone’s lunch even if we wanted to.”

“Dang…” she mutters. But she gets an idea, “Ok I _might_ be able to get us some snacks, but I have to go alone.”

Kelly eyes her suspiciously, “Umm…”

“I’ll come back. Promise,” she crosses her heart with her finger, grinning.

“Wow. You think I’m that untrustworthy?” she teases.

Alex shrugs, “I told you, I have a little sister. I know how you types can be.”

Kelly laughs and shakes her head, “I don’t know if I should invite you back into my office after I’m pretty sure you just insulted me.”

Alex backs up toward the door, “I’m supplying the wine _and_ the food, and all you have is a maybe-wine opener. So it seems like it would be in your best interest…”

She watches Kelly blow out the candle and follow her into the hall, locking her office door behind them, “I’m gonna need to see how good your ‘secret plan’ is first, then…maybe.”

“Maybe?!” Alex scoffs.

Kelly stops and eyes her in a way that makes Alex feel…floaty—that’s what Kara would call it, “Maybe.”

She didn’t actually have a secret plan. Her only plan was to raid a few Secret Santa stockings outside some of the other office doors. She just didn’t know if stealing was a dealbreaker for Kelly Olsen.

She heads down a couple floors, hoping it’ll mean she’s not thieving from Kelly’s coworkers. Or at least not ones she probably talks to regularly.

Twenty minutes later, Alex returns to Kelly’s office to find her already inside, wine opener in hand, “Success?”

“Yep!” She holds it up victoriously, then sees the small pile of things in Alex’s arm, “You too, it seems.”

Alex dumps the armful of snacks onto the coffee table with a smirk, “Impressed?”

She hesitates for a second, “Yes, actually.”

There’s a small box of chocolates, peppermint bark, fancy crackers, and a couple of those meat and cheese logs that freak Alex out just a little at how long they can be wrapped, unrefrigerated, and apparently still eaten. But she’s hungry, and candy will not pass as dinner. She also grabbed two more candles, just in case. Kelly picks one up, turning it slowly, like she’s inspecting it.

Alex feels a little guilty, but she only took what she thought they might need, and she has plans to replace everything. “I didn’t know how long we would be here,” she shrugs, “Figured we should probably save our phone batteries.”

“Yeah…you’re probably right.”

They work quietly, and Alex thinks about filling some of the silence, but she’s suddenly nervous. They’re total strangers after all, and her small talk isn’t great. Kelly opens a candle and lights it, and Alex opens the wine. When she sees the two coffee mugs Kelly’s supplied, Alex laughs, “Classy.”

“I’ve had worse,” Kelly admits, “Plus look how cute this one is!”

She holds up one of the mugs, and Alex recognizes it instantly as the one she bought from Anthropologie. Another moral victory for Secret Santa. She holds up two boxes of chocolates for Kelly, “Any preference?”

“Hm…” she inspects them both carefully, “The marshmallow ones, if you don’t mind.”

She leaves that box on the table, and keeps the peppermint bark. She considers the cheese, meat and cracker spread, “Uh…how do we…?”

Kelly takes a butter knife from her desk drawer and with a little difficulty, cuts through the whole blocks of cheddar and salami, plastic wrap and all, then carefully pushes half of each toward Alex, “That’s about as COVID friendly as I think it can get. I promise I didn’t breathe on it.”

Alex opens the box of crackers, pulls the plastic bag out of the box, and dumps half the crackers back into the now-empty box. She keeps the half-full bag, and hands the box to Kelly, “Right back at ya.”

She gathers her half of everything and takes it to the other side of the plexiglass wall, settling into the armchair with her mug of wine and a lap full of snacks. But with nothing to do except pick through their crackers and stare at each other, the silence becomes impossible to ignore.

“So…any big holiday plans?”

Kelly swirls her wine in the mug and shakes her head, “Not this year. You?”

“Uh, no. Me either.” She internally chastises herself. Does anyone have big plans during a pandemic? What a dumb thing to ask.

“Usually my brother and I find a way to meet up—either his place or mine—but this year…traveling doesn’t seem like such a good idea.” She seems a little surprised at her next thought, “It’s weird to be afraid to fly.”

Alex feels her heartbeat quicken at the thought alone, and she takes a slow breath to settle it back down, “I’ve always been afraid of flying. Well—not always. But an engine blew on a plane I was on a few years ago…the oxygen masks came down and everything.”

“Oh my god, that’s horrible! Was everyone ok?”

She’s a little surprised by her own openness, and it catches her off guard, “Oh, yeah. Everyone was fine. We weren’t far, so they just turned around and landed where we took off from.” She tries to downplay the whole ordeal. She’s not sure why she brought that up in the first place. That’s not the kind of fear Kelly was talking about, “But that’s probably not what you meant. You were talking about being close to strangers, right?”

“Oh. Yeah, but that’s still scary.”

“Yeah…” she runs a hand through her hair, “Sorry. I don’t know why I told you that…” When she looks up again, Kelly’s big brown eyes looking at her kindly, and suddenly Alex knows exactly why she told her that. She felt safe here. She’s not even sure how or why that is. She laughs lightly, “I guess you picked the right profession.”

Kelly laughs too, “Yeah…I guess” She stares out the window, watching the snow fall, but Alex watches her instead, “I’ve always been a good listener, or so I’ve been told.”

“Did you always want to be a therapist?”

She smiles sadly, “No, not always.”

She turns back to Alex, pulling her mask off to take a sip of her wine, and Alex heart thumps in her chest.

It was a weird new normal, wearing face masks. But the thing that surprised her the most was how terrible her brain was at piecing together what people looked like without seeing the rest of their face. She had already formed a little crush on Kelly Olsen, but her brain was not even close to picturing how truly stunning she was. Alex is captivated.

Kelly puts the mug down quickly and wipes her chin, “Did I spill wine on my face?”

“Oh,” she stutters, “No. Sorry. Zoned out for a second,” she covers lamely. “So what did you want to do before you became a therapist?”

Alex watches her pick out a piece of chocolate, talking more to it than to her, “I was in the Army, actually.”

“Wow. As…a doctor?” she guesses.

“Army Engineer, actually.”

Alex is impressed, “Engineer _and_ a doctor. Damn,” she teases, “Ok, smartypants.”

Kelly waves her off, with a little grin that makes Alex weak, “Please. It’s not like that, I promise.”

“I’ll pretend I believe you.”

Alex takes off her own mask and starts attempting to carve the block of cheddar cheese with the crackers. It’s mostly making a mess, but it means she’s not staring at Kelly and being awkward. “How long were you in the Army?”

“About six years. I joined right out of high school, got my degree during active duty, and then got out and switched careers.”

“Didn’t enjoy engineering anymore?”

Kelly pushes a few crackers around in the palm of her hand, not really eating them, “When I got out…I didn’t enjoy very much of anything anymore.”

Alex swallows hard, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

Kelly’s eyes look up quickly and lock with hers, “You didn’t.”

But now she’s nervous. Her small talk must be rustier than she thought. She figures it’s only fair to be as honest with Kelly as she’s been to Alex, “You know what’s odd? I don’t know the last time I talked to a stranger since this whole pandemic started.”

Kelly furrows her brow, but she’s grinning, “Don’t you talk to patients every day??”

She tilts her chin, “Oh, well yeah. I guess so,” she laughs, “But like…other strangers. At bars, or coffee shops, or concerts…people you might end up spending an hour or two with. People who end up in your life by accident, and not by the nurse who schedules my surgeries.”

“I guess you’re right. I haven’t met any new friends in months—”

Alex perks up, “Are we friends now?”

“Well,” Kelly smirks, “You _did_ steal me a salami.”

“I didn’t steal it!” she protests, even though it’s a lie. She _was_ going to put it back—well not put it back, but at least replace it. She already placed the Instacart order for the things she pilfered. They should be at her apartment in a couple hours—depending on the current blizzard.

Kelly carefully holds up the stolen candle up to the plexiglass wall in between the two of them, “Did you get this from the 2nd floor?”

Her stomach knots, and she feels her cheeks turn red, “…maybe.”

But then Kelly laughs, and Alex’s worry dissolves, “Pam in HR is my Secret Santa. I bought her this candle and dropped it outside her door a couple hours ago. It was with a pair of fuzzy slippers, right?”

“Yes…” Alex groans and buries her head in her hands, thoroughly embarrassed, “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Kelly laughs, “I’ll get her a new one, and put it with the Day 5 gift. I guess that’s only fair, ya know, since I drank your Secret Santa’s wine.”

 _If only you knew_ , Alex thinks, “I have a feeling they won’t mind. But I’ll buy them a new one anyway.” She suddenly remembers her own Secret Santa gift that she never opened, “Oh wait! Here!”

She puts her mask back on and reaches around the wall to put the unwrapped gift on the table by Kelly, “You can give this to Pam!”

“What is it?”

Alex shrugs, “I didn’t open it, but it feels like a candle.”

“Are you sure?” She nods in agreement, so Kelly picks it up and turns it over a few times, “Should I open it first?”

Alex shrugs again, “Up to you.”

Kelly looks like she’s about to open it, but then she stops, “Nah. I kinda like that it’ll be a surprise. I’m sure it can’t be anything too offensive, right?”

“No more or less than an astrology mug that’s about six months off the mark,” she grins.

Kelly holds up her mug in a toast, “Touché.”

Alex mimics the gesture, and they “toast” from opposite sides of the plexiglass and six feet away, then take sips of their wine.

She looks out the window, and notices the snow has slowed down to almost a stop. She points it out to Kelly, who leans close to the window to look around too. “Do you think it’s safe?”

“Probably. I might need to cancel all my in-person sessions tomorrow though if they don’t get the power back up. I guess I should pack up my stuff.”

Disappointed their cozy night in is over, but suddenly remembering how exhausted she is, Alex starts putting her coat back on, “I can clean up the snacks, if you want to do that. Then, um, maybe we can walk out together?” she hopes.

“Sure,” Kelly smiles, “It won’t take me long.”

“Take your time.”

On the way out, they stop by the 2nd floor to drop off Pam from HR’s new mystery gift and so Alex can put back the box of peppermint bark and candle they didn’t open. Then they continue down the stairs to the emergency exit that thwarted them an hour ago. The door opens on the first try, and the wind and snow are much calmer now. Soothing, almost.

“Well…” Alex says nervously, “Thank you for not reporting my crimes to the proper authorities.”

“Doctor/patient privilege,” Kelly winks, “Can’t violate the code.”

Alex’s knees buckle a little at that wink, “Yes, of course,” she manages, “That’s very important.”

They walk through the parking lot together for a few steps, but it’s clear they’re headed in opposite directions. They pause awkwardly, and Kelly waves, “It was nice to meet you, Alex.”

“You too,” she grins. She almost reaches a hand out, but remembers the stupid pandemic, so her arm just kinda twitches. She hopes Kelly doesn’t notice. “Hopefully I’ll see ya around?”

“Yeah. I hope so too.”

With nothing left to say, Alex waves a little, and they both turn to walk away. She pulls her coat a little tighter, and walks across the snowy parking lot, to the opposite side of the hospital where her car is parked.

She doesn’t feel the bits of snow that fall in her boots, or in her hair, or how her legs are freezing in the single layer of denim that’s not providing enough protection in the current climate. She just feels warm from the inside out. She feels…floaty.

…

**Day Four**

Alex wakes up without an alarm, but it’s still dark. She taps at her phone on the nightstand, but it doesn’t light up. She tries the light, and thankfully, it turns on.

Her apartment had power when she got home last night, but she didn’t know if it would stay on overnight. She looks at her phone again, and realizes she forgot to plug it in. No wonder it died.

She plugs it in properly and jumps in the shower. When she gets out twenty minutes later, she has five missed calls and about twenty text messages. All from Kara.

She scrolls through them quickly—mostly Kara freaking out about the power going out, and following up every half hour to see if it came back on—but Alex’s phone died at some point when she was with Kelly, so she never got any of the messages.

Alex calls her back even though its 5AM in National City.

“OH MY GOD. I THOUGHT YOU DIED.”

She rolls her eyes as she walks through the house in her sweats, “I did not _die_ , Kara. Don’t be so dramatic.”

“You do NOT just leave a message like that and then NEVER ANSWER AGAIN, ALEX!”

“I _did_ answer you,” she says sarcastically, “I’m answering you right now.”

“ALEX.”

She pushes the button on her coffee maker to start it, and mimics her sister’s tone, “KARA.”

Her sister sighs, “Fine. Whatever. I’m glad you’re alive.”

“I was at work from 4AM until I left you that voicemail, Kara. My phone died before I got home.”

“How does a surgical wing even lose power? That seems unsafe.” Mid-sentence, her tone switches from concerned sister to investigative reporter, and it’s always amusing to Alex. She calls it Kara’s “grown up” voice—much to her chagrin.

“It doesn’t,” she says automatically. But then she reconsiders that, “At least I don’t think it does? I know we have back up generators… But I wasn’t in the hospital, I was in the office building across the way. I guess they don’t have any.”

“The office build—ooooh. Your Secret Santa!”

Alex can hear the excitement buzzing in her sister, even at 5AM, “What was yesterday’s gift? The wine, right? Did you buy a good bottle?”

“Yeah, it was great actually,” she answers without thinking.

“Wait—you _drank_ it?”

Alex stops mid-coffee pour, and winces. Apparently her brain is still asleep, “Uhh…yeah. Kinda.”

“Wow,” Kara snorts, “You really are the worst Secret Santa ever,” she jokes.

She wasn’t exactly planning on telling Kara about her night, but it’s the only exciting thing to happen to her in months, “Well technically I gave it to my person…I just also happened to drink it with her too.”

“Oh reeeeally??” She can perfectly picture the face Kara is probably making in her mind, “Do tell.”

“I just did.” She takes a sip of coffee as Kara whines on the other end of the phone, then gives in, “I told you, I got stuck there when the power went out. It turns out, so did Kelly. So we waited out the storm in her office—safely, of course. Well…” she shrugs to herself, “As safely as we could. There were masks and plexiglass dividers. Scouts honor.”

“You’re not a girl scout, but I believe you,” she snorts. “So you met her? Is she nice?”

“She’s…” _gorgeous_ , her brain supplies. But she swallows that word down, “She’s nice. Yes.”

“Cool. You need friends there. I’m starting to worry about you.”

Alex rolls her eyes, “Real easy to make friends when being around people is basically illegal…” she quips.

“I know, I know,” Kara sighs, “But still.”

Alex takes another sip of coffee, thinking about last night. When she puts down the mug she spots the bag from her Instacart shopper on the counter and panics, “Crap! Kara, I gotta run. Sorry!”

“Aren’t you off today?”

She rushes through her apartment with the phone to her ear, trying to get dressed one handed, “I am, but—it’s a long story. I’ll explain later. I promise. Potstickers tonight? Tell ya all about it?” She hopes they can make up their sister night from the night before.

“Yeah, sure. I might be a little late tonight, but you should still be home before me.”

“Great. Thank you! Love ya sis!”

“Love you too!”

She hangs up the phone and tosses it onto her bed. It’ll probably die again in an hour, because she only charged it for twenty minutes, but whatever. The only person who ever calls her is Kara.

Alex changes quickly, wraps up all the gifts even quicker— _thank you, creator of gift bags_ —and rushes out the door.

Thankfully, despite the blizzard of last night, the snowplows and salt trucks have been working overtime. The streets are manageable, even for a West Coast transplant, and she’s at the hospital in no time. She parks at the opposite end of the lot, and heads straight to the office building.

When the elevator _dings_ from behind her, she turns to see the doors open and Kelly Olsen leaning against the back wall with a few wrapped gifts cradled in one arm. Her heart thumps loudly in her chest.

“Alex?”

Heat spreads from her chest to her fingertips, and she swallows hard, “Kelly! Hey—hi.”

The door starts to close, so Kelly reaches out with her free hand to keep it open, “What are you doing here?”

She holds up the gift bags in her hands, with a smirk, and Kelly’s eyes go wide. She laughs and points to the gifts in her arm, “Second floor, then?”

Alex looks between the gifts in Kelly’s arm and the gifts in her hands, and laughs, shaking her head, “I told you I was going to replace it!”

“I know! I felt bad though,” she shrugs. “I’m just as guilty as you are…it only seemed fair.”

They ride the elevator together, and make idle chitchat about their snow excursions home. When they get to the second floor, they take turns playing lookout and dropping gifts at the couple of offices Alex stole from the night before.

When they make it back to the elevator, Kelly furrows her brow, “You missed one.”

Alex looks down in her hand at yet another wine-shaped gift bag that she forgot is Kelly’s, “Oh. Uhh…” she sputters.

“Is that for your person?”

 _Her person_. She wishes. _Not what she meant_. She shakes the thought out of her head, “My Secret Santa person? Yeah…yes.”

“Which floor?” she asks casually.

Alex internally panics, “Um…you know what? It’s in the hospital next door. I’ll take it on my way out.”

“Oh! I actually have a meeting there in…” she checks her watch, “About half an hour. If you come up to the fourth floor first, I’ll walk over there with you.”

Her palms start to sweat, “Sure.” Her voice feels a little higher than normal, so she clears her throat, “Yeah. Great, thanks.”

She tries to strategize in her head, figuring she can walk to the hospital with Kelly, then just sneak back to her office after she’s in her meeting.

What she doesn’t consider, however, is that Kelly’s meeting will be cancelled.

They get to the conference room and see the note posted on the door, and Kelly’s shoulders slump, “You think someone could’ve sent an email…” she turns to Alex, suddenly cheerier, “Oh well. Where are we headed?”

Alex raises an eyebrow, then remembers the wine in her hand, “Oh. Uh…” she stalls. She could just leave it outside anyone’s door. It’s not like Kelly is going to follow up on it. But lying seems like a lot of work, and really, there’s only one day left…

“Actually,” she holds out the bag in front of her sheepishly, “Merry Christmas?”

Kelly looks confused, “What?”

“Um…I’m your Secret Santa,” she winces, “Sorry to ruin it a day early, but I didn’t want to lead you on a wild goose chase around the hospital, while I figured out how to deliver this.”

Kelly takes the bag with a laugh, “Oh no! I’m sorry! I ruined it, didn’t I?”

“No, no. It’s fine. Honestly. You would’ve found out tomorrow. I mean, I tried to get rid of you, but you are persistent…” she teases.

Kelly’s cheeks turn pink, and Alex thinks she’s adorable. Then she raises an eyebrow, “Can I open it now?”

“Sure.”

She peeks through the tissue paper carefully, and pulls a couple things out, throwing her head back and laughing, “Oh my god. It’s perfect!”

She holds out her hands, and Alex looks, even though she knows exactly what it is: a wine opener, crackers, cheese and a salami. “So you don’t have to steal it, next time.”

Kelly looks back in the bag and up at Alex in surprise, “What? No wine?”

Alex scoffs in fake offense, “You drank all the wine!”

“True…true…” she admits, “It was good wine too.” She puts all the things back in the bag and they start heading out. But then Kelly comes to a dead stop in the hallway, “Wait—you bought the candle!” she suddenly realizes.

Alex can only see half of her face, but she can see the tears spring up in Kelly’s eyes. She freezes, and her stomach swoops, “Oh. Yes?” She hesitates, “Are you _sure_ those are good tears…?”

“Yes,” she nods, wiping her eyes, “I promise. You have to tell me where you got that.”

The conversation flows easily, and Kelly falls back in step with her, walking her back toward her car.

On the way home, Alex texts her sister: _Need a better gift for the last day! Come to sister night with your best ideas only!_

…

**Day Five**

Friday morning, Alex sets her alarm way earlier than normal. She’s up at four, and at the hospital by five…even though she doesn’t starts work until eight. She didn’t want to take any chances that Kelly would be there before her.

Kara talked her of the ledge, reminding her that her Secret Santa gift only has to be a Secret Santa gift, even though Alex feels like she has to one-up herself from the day before.

So she kept the gift the same, but added a more personal note, and that’s the part that makes her nervous. That’s the reason she doesn’t want Kelly to open it in front of her.

By noon, Kara has texted three times. She gets back to her office and finally has time to answer: _No, Kara. She hasn’t said anything. I WILL TELL YOU IF SHE DOES. I PROMISE._

Her phone pings back immediately: _YOU BETTER._

When she returns to her office at the end of the day, Kelly Olsen is leaning against her door, with a large gift bag Alex knows is from her on one arm. Her stomach flips and her heart beats faster, “Hi.”

“Hey,” she answers cooly.

Alex pauses outside her office, a little unsure. It’s not really big enough to invite her in, and it’s a mess.

Kelly tilts her chin, “Are you headed out?”

“Yeah,” she manages, “Um…let me get my coat.”

Alex pulls on her coat and scarf, swaps her running shoes for snow boots, and they walk out of the hospital together for the second day in a row. By the time they reach Alex’s car, she’s a bundle of nerves. It hasn’t been awkward, necessarily, but she can tell Kelly’s waiting for something. For what, though, she’s not sure.

She turns around and leans against her side door, “Well…this is me. I, uh, I’ll see you Monday?”

“Sure,” Kelly nods, but she looks almost as nervous as Alex feels. She takes a small wrapped package from her pocket and hands it over, “I’m, um, not your Secret Santa, but this is for you.”

Alex takes it carefully, and looks up at her, “Should I open it now?”

“Oh,” she seems surprised by the question, “Yeah. Sure.”

Alex unwraps it carefully, and finds a small branch of little green leaves inside, tied up with a gold ribbon. When she holds it up, a small note flutters back down into the wrapping paper. She picks it up and reads the neat handwriting: _To the best Secret Santa, For whenever this pandemic ends…if you want. -Kelly_

It takes her a second, but then it clicks, and she can’t help the smile that spreads across her face, “Is this mistletoe?”

The red creeping up Kelly’s neck and cheeks confirms her suspicion before her answer does, “Too much?”

“No,” she breathes, “It’s cute.” Under her breath she mutters, “…like you.”

Kelly’s eyes meet hers, and Alex knows she’s blushing now too, “Uhh…until we can use it…maybe we can use your gift instead?”

“Oh,” Kelly laughs, shaking her head slightly, “I didn’t open it yet.”

“What?!” Alex is shocked, “Well what are you waiting for??”

Kelly starts to open it, but it’s a pretty big bag, so Alex holds the handles open for her, “Here.” Her stomach knots as Kelly takes the items out, hoping she doesn’t think it’s lame.

“Popcorn…” she pulls that out and tucks it in her arm, “Marshmallow chocolates,” she laughs and looks up at Alex with a sweet look that makes Alex insides turn to mush, “You remembered.”

“It was the only kind I was pretty sure you liked,” Alex mutters.

Kelly grins, “It’s my favorite actually.”

“Noted.” Alex commits that to memory.

“Oh my gosh, this blanket!” She pulls out the bundle of fabric that is possibly the softest thing Alex has ever touched. She actually bought them for her mom and Kara too. She almost bought one for herself.

Kelly hugs it close, “This is the softest thing ever!” But before Alex can answer, she looks toward the bag again, “Oh wait! The note!”

Alex was nervous about her reading it in front of her, but considering she just got _mistletoe_ —her stomach flutters at the thought alone—she’s a bit more confident now.

Kelly opens it carefully, and reads it to herself, then looks up with a grin, “So this is a COVID-friendly blanket?”

“Well,” she smirks, “It’s over six feet long…So you can sit on one side, and I can sit on the other. I figure it’s astep up from our plexiglass wall…”

“True,” she laughs, “Man, dating in 2020 is weird…” she muses. She puts all the items back in the bag, and takes it gently from Alex’s hands. 

“So…” Alex’s stomach flips, and she twirls the mistletoe in her hand, “It’s a date?”

Kelly raises an eyebrow, “Movie night?”

Alex nods in agreement, and it starts to snow. She looks up and laughs thickly, “Oh no. Not this again…”

Kelly stares up at the sky, beaming, “I think we can handle it.”

She watches the snowflakes land on Kelly’s eyelashes, her heart thumping with excitement it hasn’t felt in years. Even so, she feels pretty confident as she says, “Yeah, we got this.”

Maybe Christmas in 2020 wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

…


End file.
